SUV Review: 2009 BMW X5 diesel, 335d

BMW makes it easy to fall in love with diesel

By Derek McNaughton, Canwest News Service

Originally published: August 10, 2011

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For years I have been on the fence about diesel-powered cars. Iremember what a pain they were to start, how much they stank, howannoyingly loud the engines clattered. The only car that ever abandonedme was an old Mercedes diesel that choked up in the cold.

Today’sdiesel engines, we are told, are not like the others. So, I drove afew, read field reports on others and heard the rhetorical praises ofdiesel’s virtues. Still, I wasn’t so sure.

Not anymore.

Havingdriven BMW’s X5 diesel and the 335 diesel over two weeks in all kindsof conditions, I can now say that diesel is the greatest automotiveadvancement in decades — cheaper, simpler and as efficient as hybrids –yet a total blast to drive.

In the X5 — a 2,370-kilogram SUV thatcan seat seven with the optional third row — I was able to achieve aremarkable 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway driving in myusual survivor style. Transport Canada says the X5 diesel shouldachieve an even better figure of 7.5 L/100 km. In the city, I rangedfrom a high of 9.6 L/100 km to a low in the 13-L/100-km range. I wouldhave done better if not sedated by the extra power afforded by thediesel engine, which kept me honking on the throttle whenever I could.

Thosemileage figures are rates I did not achieve in a slightly wheezyfour-cylinder mid-sized sedan recently, let alone a leather-appointed,all-wheel-drive luxury SUV that can tow 2,272 kg and dispense withmuddy cottage trails just as deftly as it handles paved streets.

Asimpressive as the economy is in this SUV, the thrust felt when goosingthe gas pedal is even better. BMW’s X5 xDrive35d uses a 3.0L in-linesix-cylinder backed by twin turbos to produce 425 pound-feet of torque,even though horsepower is a mere 265. That’s the best part of diesel’smagic — high torque numbers — the force that actually propels thevehicle to make it feel fast even though the horsepower number is low.

Thereis some noise to the diesel X5, but it’s perfectly suited for thevehicle. It’s close to being a truck, after all, so it needs a meatysound. The noise, if you can call it that, is mostly heard on theoutside. With the windows shut, the cabin is utterly quiet, asbefitting a $62,200 vehicle.

Under instant acceleration, thereseems to be more noticeable turbo lag than with the gasoline engine,but I quickly learned to expect the brief delay in power delivery andadjusted my driving style to suit. Acceleration to 100 km an hour is7.4 seconds, just a tick slower than the 6.9 seconds of the muchthirstier 350-hp V8 in the X5 4.8i.

I did find the X5’spush-button feature that engages the six-speed transmission in Parksomewhat fussy (not staying in reverse when I wanted it to, for safetyreasons), but I began to understand its sensitivity after a while.

TheX5 xDrive35d was one of the most enjoyable SUVs I’ve driven. It dideverything I wanted in an SUV and quickly overturned my preconceivednotions about diesel. The 335d sedan, which uses the same twin-turbosix-cylinder engine as in the X5 diesel, did the same thing.

Inboth vehicles, I thought I would have trouble finding fuel. But, bysetting the navigation system preferences to highlight diesel stations,the map showed me where they were. A lot more showed up than Iexpected. The X5 and 335d both have restrictors at the filler gate toprevent anyone from putting in the wrong fuel type. And if you arriveat a station that has only the large truck-type nozzles, BMW suppliesan adaptor, which is stored in the trunk. The price of diesel was abonus, too, averaging a few cents less than the price of regulargasoline. I was winning the war on gasoline on two fronts.

The335d I drove managed a startling 6.9 L/100 km in 70% highway driving,though, at times on the highway, it was tracking below 5.0 L/100 kmwhen travelling close to 100 km/h. I was truly impressed.

Thesedan has the same slight turbo lag as the X5 at launch, but, oncegoing, it’s a hard-charging cheetah. It seems to thrive above 100 km/h,and there is a sweet spot between 140 and 200 km/h where the powerkeeps pulling the car along in a smooth, linear way. Unfortunately,there’s no manual for the 335d yet, but there is no extra charge forthe automatic in the $49,700 car.

Again, comparing the 335d with the gas-powered 335i, the diesel hits 100

km/hin just 6.3 seconds. The 300-hp 335i does it in 5.7 seconds — a marginso small few drivers will notice or even care. There is just a hint ofdiesel clatter in the cabin at idle, but it disappears once underwayand the pleasant rasp from the exhaust takes over.

I couldn’t getover how little odour came from the exhaust. My eyes widened again whenI saw the range the 335d could travel on a full tank — close to 800 kmat my consumption rate.

Some have complained that when the priceof gasoline rises again, so too will the price of diesel. But if you’redriving a BMW or any other performance orientated vehicle, chances areyou’re going to need premium fuel. So even if the price of diesel goesup, it will likely hover close or below the price of premium. The onlycaveat is if the popularity of diesel takes off exponentially, puttinga strain on diesel supplies that have not seen new refining capacity inyears. Even if the price of diesel does go up, the value of a dieselvehicle will be recognized over the long haul: Consumption will besignificantly less and the vehicles are on track to have a higher valuein four years time, judging by the residual figures BMW uses.

Bothof these vehicles went a long way to showing off the prowess of thediesel and BMW’s sophistication with it. As more people discovertoday’s diesels are nothing like the old, more perceptions — andpurchases — will undoubtedly change. Couple diesel with hybridtechnology, and we may have the most sought after power source of thefuture.